


Replaced

by DarkShade



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), Doctor Who
Genre: Angst, Crossover, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:20:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24134209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkShade/pseuds/DarkShade
Summary: Rory Williams and Sara Lance find they've been replaced and their loved ones have no idea who they are.   Through pure chance they run into one another and, as the enemy of my enemy is my friend, team up.They need to save the people they love and stop whoever has done this to them but first have to learn to trust one another and work together.
Relationships: Amy Pond/Rory Williams, Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe
Comments: 8
Kudos: 31





	Replaced

**Author's Note:**

> This was basically written for one exchange.  
> Hope you enjoy.

The rain had finally stopped, much to Rory’s relief, since he was only wearing a light jacket thanks to the Doctor bypassing August all together. It had been a fun few months running through time and space, but it was nice to get back to reality for a while.

Walking for the bus, since the Doctor dropped him off at the hospital and his car was at the house, Rory mused over what to get Amy for her birthday next week. He jumped when someone walked into him, not noticing the coin being slipped into his pocket.

“Watch it,” the man snapped before disappearing into the crowd.

Shaking his head Rory caught the bus, lost in thought which meant he almost missed his stop. Getting off the bus, Rory wandered the few blocks towards home hoping Amy had picked up something easy to cook otherwise it would be toast for dinner. As much as he loved her, Rory could not stomach her cooking. He’d seen a film once where one of the characters said they believed that ‘All Scottish cuisine is based on a dare’ and Rory sometimes felt Amy took that as a recommendation.

Reaching the house, Rory grimaced, remembering that he’d left his keys in the TARDIS. That was also the Doctor’s fault, he’d gone into a ramble about something Rory stopped listening to two sentences in, but it meant he got distracted and didn’t go back to the room.

Hoping Amy wasn’t upstairs listening to music, he hit the doorbell and waited.

The door opened and Amy appeared, frowning at him. She pressed her hand on his shoulder stopping him before he was able to walk inside.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Amy snapped, shoving him away.

Managing to steady himself and not fall backwards off the step, Rory said, “Coming into our house.”

Amy let out a snort of derision, “Wrong house. Go sleep it off, pal.”

Confused and worried he started, “Amy…”

“How do you know my name?” she snapped, before yelling, “Rory!!”

Even more confused Rory took a step forward only to stall when a man appeared at Amy’s side, good-looking with great hair and looked like he spent every waking hour at the gym. The kind of man Rory used to think Amy would end up marrying.

“I’ll deal with this,” he said, leaning in and kissing Amy’s cheek as Rory’s hands fisted.

Amy glanced at Rory for a second before flouncing away.

“Who the hell are you?” Rory snarled, his fingers twitching for his sword, “And what do you want?”

The man laughed and shrugged, “I’m Rory Williams.”

“You have no idea what you’re dealing with,” Rory said through gritted teeth, “Get away from my wife.”

“You mean my wife,” the man smirked, “And before you try to eject me from my lovely new home, I suggest you look behind you.”

Rory slowly turned and saw several people standing, all wearing black robes. They suddenly all began converging on him and, knowing he had no other choice, Rory ran slamming his shoulder into one of them to get through. Racing along the street he knew he needed to find a safe place to contact the Doctor or River and just hoped that Amy was safe until he managed to.

Rory ducked feeling the whistle of air above him as the man swung the bat at him. Using a move taught to him by his daughter, Rory slammed his foot into his assailant’s knee. The man went down, and Rory started to run again. He was exhausted, after a full day working in the hospital, he’d been on the run for about an hour. Life with the Doctor prepared you for extreme situations, and Rory had military training (in a way), but he still needed time to rest.

He had to call the Doctor, but whoever these people were, they kept appearing no matter where he went. Rory thought about contacting UNIT but dismissed the idea quickly because if Amy didn’t know him it was likely that something had happened here which would probably have affected them too. The Doctor or River were his best options.

Throwing himself around another corner, he pulled out his phone and quickly dialled. Surprised when one of the men appeared, knocking the phone from his hand. His mobile sailed through the air into the road and was crushed under a bus.

Cursing Rory pushed past his attacker, seeing a bus (the same one that crushed his phone) stop just a few feet from him. Rory ran, managing to get on and show his ticket relieved that the doors closed before any of those who had been chasing him could catch it.

Rory fell into a seat. 

Now he had to work out what to do next.

*********************************************

It was a nice evening as Sara Lance sauntered towards the hotel where she was meeting Ava. She’d spent the past few days at a spa, a treat the guys had given her for her birthday, relaxing and being pampered. She was now looking forward to having dinner with her girlfriend, then spending the night at the hotel, before getting back to work. Ava was in London to meet a group that had a connection to aliens, who Sara had never heard of, but it gave them an excuse to have a night away.

Sara hummed softly to herself, surprised when someone bumped her, not noticing the coin being slipped in her pocket, she continued to the restaurant and smiled as she saw her girlfriend sitting waiting for her. Although still wearing her Time Bureau suit, her long hair was falling around her shoulders which Sara always loved.

Walking towards the table, she stalled when a brunette woman appeared at the table beside Ava who smiled and kissed her.

“What the hell?” Sara demanded, “Ava?”

Ava frowned, “Can I help you?”

Confused Sara stared at her, “Ava, is this some kind of game I’m meant to know about.”

Her girlfriend looked at the brunette, “Sara, is this one of your friends or have the idiots changed the timeline again?”

“What?” Sara blinked trying to work out what the hell was happening.

The brunette rested her hand on Ava’s shoulder, “Let me deal with this. We’ll order room service instead.”

Before Sara could do anything, Ava left and the brunette turned to her and smiled.

“You have ten seconds to talk,” Sara snarled, “And then…”

“Before you threaten me,” the brunette chuckled cutting her off, “You might want to make sure you know what you’re up against.”

Sara glanced around seeing everyone in the restaurant were wearing robes and surrounding her.

“Best not to fight,” the brunette said, “It’ll hurt less.”

“You don’t know me then,” Sara snapped before she swung and hit the other woman. Several people rushed at her and Sara ran.

All of a sudden there were several of the robed attackers surrounding her. Running to find a safe place to activate the courier someone ran into her.

“Sorry,” a man said, his hands on her shoulders to help steady her.

Sara looked up at him and stared in astonishment, “Rip?”

“What?” he asked before grimacing, “I have to go.”

Sara glanced round and saw her friends coming for her, the man who looked exactly like Rip had a look of panic on his face as more appeared.

“They’re after you too,” Sara realised starting them moving.

Rip’s lookalike nodded.

“I have a way out,” she told him, “We just need to get far enough away from them so they can’t follow.”

He stared at her, “Why would you help me?”

“Enemy of my enemy,” she noted, “Are you in?”

He nodded, “I have no other choice.”

“Then run,” Sara ordered, “And keep up with me.”

“Running I can do.”

Rory knew how to run these days, you had to if you spent any time with the Doctor, so he ran alongside the blonde woman he was trusting for some reason. He glanced at her and saw she was tapping her watch, as they ran through the park.

“We’re far enough away,” she called, “Just keep going.”

Rory did as he was told before he staggered to a stop when the open park became woodland. Turning to look where he’d come from Rory saw a shimmering arc showing the park that he’d been in for a second before it disappeared, and the woodland took its place.

The blonde let out a sigh of relief and dropped to sit on a nearby log, “Hopefully that should give us some time.”

“Where are we?” Rory demanded as he took a proper look around, “What just happened? Who were they? Who are you?”

“I was going to ask you a few of the same questions,” she replied before introducing herself, “I’m Sara Lance.”

“Rory Williams,” he reciprocated, grimacing at her penetrating look, “What?”

Sara winced, “Sorry, you just really look like someone I used to know.”

“I’m not,” Rory said shortly, “What about my other questions? What was that and where the hell are we?”

“Let’s just call it a transportation door,” Sara told him evasively.

Rory decided not to ask any more on that and looked around, “And where are we?” 

Standing up, Sara brushed the dirt off her jeans, “If I’m right then about a ten-minute walk from someone who can help us. I hope.”

“That isn’t helping me stay calm,” Rory noted annoyed before he sighed, “But it looks like I have no choice.”

Sara gave him a smile and a pat on the arm, “Come on.”

She started walking along the path on her right and Rory sighed, he had to hope that Amy was safe until he could get back to her. 

“Hold on,” Rory called chasing after Sara. Catching up with her, he asked, “So who is this guy we’re going to ask for help?”

John batted away an imaginary fly from his head, his mouth was dry, and he felt like someone had kicked him in the head. That was the last time he drank moonshine that bloody wizard had brewed.

He had a vague memory of karaoke before getting chucked out of the pub. Twice.

Groaning as he forced himself to sit up, John rubbed a hand over his face wincing at his headache and managing to get up. Staggering across to the small cool box he kept for emergencies, he opened it and found a bottle of water. He finally managed to open it and quickly downed the entire thing. 

If he had been on the Waverider he would have asked Gideon to detox him which even with the lecture would be worth it.

He’d decided to come back to the Mill House for the few days the Waverider was berthed in the Time Bureau while Sara had her spa weekend. Mostly because he did not want to be stuck on board with the idiots when they had no mission to keep them occupied. Besides he had to check up on some things that had been sitting alone longer than he had originally intended.

As he made himself some coffee, John grimaced when the proximity alarm began to sound. John sighed, he could not be bothered with someone trying to attack him just now. The headache was pounding in his right eye, and John knew if he had to defend himself with magic there was no way he could conjure a spark never mind a fireball. Reaching the door, he frowned in confusion to see an unknown woman standing with a guy who looked like…

“Rip?”

“Not again,” the man groaned.

“John,” the woman said, “We need your help.”

He held up his hand stopping her, “No idea who you are, love.”

She let out an annoyed sigh, “I’m Sara,” at his confused look she clarified, “Lance.”

John started to laugh, “Good try, but you look nothing like her and I’m not in the mood for a joke.”

“Constantine,” the woman snapped stepping forward and hitting the shield surrounding the house.

John jumped as she changed to the woman she claimed to be for a few seconds before she fell backwards onto her ass.

Rip’s lookalike helped her off the ground as John focused on him.

“You wouldn’t want to try that, would you mate?” John asked.

The man frowned at him, “No.”

John mused for a moment, “Alright, you can come in and we’ll sort this out. But believe me just because I’m letting you inside all the security measures are not off.”

Rory followed Sara inside the house they’d found in the middle of nowhere, frowning as he felt that the inside was bigger than the outside. It had a TARDIS like feel in some ways which concerned him because Rory knew that the other Time Lords were dead.

Unfortunately, he had no other choice because he knew if whoever was chasing him caught up with them, it would be the worst outcome.

Finally, they reached a large room filled with books, artefacts, a fireplace with a large mirror over it that Rory did not want to look in and a couch that looked as though it had seen better days.

“Alright,” John said to them, “Stand in front of the couch and don’t move.”

“Why?” Sara demanded.

He stared at her hard, “If there is a spell on you then I need to break it,” 

John glanced down, Rory followed his line of sight and saw they were both inside a faint chalk outline. 

“And the shield that you’re standing in will fry you if you try to step outside the line before I remove it,” John told them.

Rory knew his eyes widened in panic, he turned to Sara who looked concerned which didn’t comfort him any.

“And your spell to remove whatever means you can’t see me,” Sara said, “Is it safe?”

John shrugged and tossed a handful of what smelled like the mixed herbs Amy would put on pizza. Rory listened to the words being murmured, not sure if the instant translation was from the TARDIS or because he used to speak Latin. Rory jumped when a wall of light surrounded them quickly before disappearing and John stared at them.

“Okay, looks like I was wrong.”

Sara took the mug John handed her relieved that he could see she was herself. The strange thing was the Rip lookalike, Rory, still looked like Rip and it was beginning to weird her out big time.

“Okay,” John took a seat, rubbing the back of his neck, “Why don’t you both tell me what happened?”

Drinking her coffee, Sara listened to Rory describe being jumped by the same people who had been chasing her and how his wife hadn’t recognised him thinking some strange man was Rory, before Sara gave her story which was almost exactly the same.

“Do either of you have any idea who these people are?” John asked thoughtfully.

Rory shook his head, “I’ve never seen them before in my life.”

They both turned to Sara who shrugged, “Me neither.”

“Well, this is a lot of help,” John sighed frustrated.

“Look I know we need to work this out,” Rory spoke up, “But some stranger is with my wife pretending to be me.”

“He won’t be able to do anything intimate to her,” John assured before adding, “Don’t get me wrong he probably would but unless they have you in custody then she’d know immediately it’s not you if he tries to get too close.”

Rolling her eyes, Sara punched John’s shoulder.

“What?” he demanded.

“That was not what he needed to hear,” Sara snapped at him, turning to Rory she soothed, “He can’t do anything to her. Focus on that.”

Rory grimaced, “I’ll try.”

“You look like you could use a shower and a change of clothes,” John told him.

Sighing Rory nodded, “And several hours sleep. I just got off my shift and it’s been a long day compounded by the time travel we did to get here.”

“Time travel?” Sara asked innocently.

“It was about 7pm when we ran into one another,” Rory stated blandly, “But from the newspaper on the table and the time, going with the clock in here as well as the position of the sun as we walked here, then we are in Georgia in America around 10am. If I remember right, the UK is 5 or 6 hours ahead of Georgia so that means we somehow jumped backward or forward a few hours.”

Sara and John stared at him.

“You seem pretty relaxed about that,” John noted.

Rory let out a sigh rubbing his eyes tiredly, “Honestly this is not unusual for my life.”

“We can put that on hold for now,” John told him, “Follow me and you can get freshened up then I’ll get us all breakfast.”

Sara watched Rory tiredly follow John out the room, still trying to work out why Rory looked so much like Rip. She was wondering if it could be another Phil situation, that had happened because he touched the time core and that was what he’d used against Mallus.

It was possible that his memory had been reset again and he met someone in this new guise he’d married. The time travel thing was possibly a vague memory, similar to when Phil wrote his movie. Except…

Phil thought everything in his script was a dream and made-up, but Rory had been completely unfazed by time travel not to mention his ease at deducing where they were.

Sara sighed; this was another thing they needed to work out.

John showed Rory to a room where he could have a shower and freshen up, leaving him some clean clothes that would hopefully fit him. The poor guy looked exhausted and worried so while he took some time to rest a little, John knew he had to start researching what had happened to make him and Sara unrecognisable to their loved ones.

“You okay?” John asked as he found Sara sitting finishing her coffee.

Sara sighed, “Confused.”

“Anything specific, love or just generally,” John asked as he started scanning his books.

“Is Rory Rip?”

John glanced round at her and shook his head, “No.”

“You’re sure about this?” Sara demanded, “Because he looks just like him. The accent might be different, but Phil was American.”

“Because you recognised him,” John explained, “If he was Rip then the spell you two are under means we wouldn’t recognise him.”

Sara found confused, “Are you…how…”

“The spell transfers your identity to someone else and ensures anyone who knows you can’t see you as yourself,” John reminded her, “You wouldn’t recognise him if he was Rip.”

“But if he doesn’t know he’s Rip, it wouldn’t work,” Sara argued before asking, “Would it?”

Rolling his eyes John turned back to his books, “Just trust me, I know what I’m talking about.”

She fell silent and John continued to pull out books. 

It was going to be a long day.

*********************************************

Rory closed his eyes as he let the warm water batter down on him. He was exhausted and worried because his phone had been destroyed so he couldn’t send a message to the Doctor or River to check up on Amy. Rory also didn’t know if he could completely trust his new acquaintances, who both thought he was someone else, since they also seemed to know about time travel as well as use it. And the talk of spells worried him too. The memories that he’d gained in the two thousand years included vague ones of sorcerers, but he didn’t remember having anything other than fleeting interactions with them.

Getting out the shower, he quickly dried himself before dressing in the clothes John had left for him. Closing his eyes, Rory tried to draw on all the military training he had, through the random occurrences that came from travelling with the Doctor, to keep himself calm and composed and to keep his worry about Amy in check.

Rory folded his clothes and left them on the bed, he grabbed his jacket to get his first aid kit, confused to find a strange looking silver coin in his pocket. It was about the same size as a ten pence piece with an odd pattern on one side only. He studied the pattern recognising it but not sure what it was, it was a vague memory from his time as the centurion.

Tucking his kit in his pocket, Rory headed out the room to rejoin the others, relieved to see John had left post-it notes with arrows guiding him the right way. From what he’d seen he did not want to be wandering around this place. Walking back into the room, he found Sara sitting staring at a book while John was bouncing about pulling other ones out.

“Feeling better?” Sara asked, looking up as he joined them.

Rory nodded, “Yeah but I found something odd.”

John turned, “Odd?”

Pulling out the coin Rory handed it to him, “I found it in my jacket pocket, and I know it wasn’t there earlier when I left the hospital.”

Flipping it over as he studied it, John frowned.

“What?” Sara asked at his expression.

John chewed his lip for a moment, grabbing one of the books he flipped through before looking up at Sara, “Check if you have one of these.”

With a frown Sara checked all her pockets and pulled out an identical coin. She placed it on the table in front of John.

Rory studied it seeing it was exactly the same as his.

“I have one idea, but it is a bit of a long shot,” John told them as he continued to flip through the book. He motioned Rory without looking up and asked, “You wouldn’t happen to have died at some point?”

Rory winced before replying with a shrug, “Once or twice.”

John and Sara both slowly turned to look at him.

“You know that’s a question usually answered with no,” Sara stared at him.

Sighing Rory shrugged, “It’s a long story. Or several long stories.”

“Well,” John took a seat and looked at him intently, “Tell them fast and keep it to the relevant details.”

Taking a seat, Rory shrugged, “Well…”

“Hold on,” Sara said cutting him off, “Rory, you said they found you wherever you went.”

He nodded.

Sara turned to John picking up one of the coins, “Is that what these are for?”

John’s eyes widened, “Bollocks.”

“What?” Rory asked.

“If they’re using this to keep tabs on us then it’s possible that they know we’re here,” Sara told him.

Rory rubbed his eyes, “How good is your security system?”

“Good but,” John grimaced, “From what you’ve told me of these guys then even if they’re not strong there are a lot of them so we could be overwhelmed.”

“Do you have any other ideas?” Rory asked.

Sara folded her arms, she chewed her lip in thought, “Will the spell affect Gideon?”

John mused for a moment before shaking his head, “When it comes to Gideon, I wouldn’t be too sure of anything but it’s unlikely.”

“Then we head to the ship,” Sara told him, “We get it locked down so no one can get onboard then we can work out what’s happening and what we’re going to do.”

John nodded before the both turned to Rory.

He shrugged, “If you think it’s a safe place then let’s go.”

“Alright,” John said, “Sara, grab all the books off the table, there’s a bag in the cupboard. Rory, help me with the chest. It’s got everything I might need to break the spell.”

Rory gave a nod and helped him pick up an old wooden chest, carrying it over to where Sara was finishing packing the bag. 

An alarm sounded and John swore.

“Get us to the ship when you know it was empty,” John told Sara, “We can’t afford to run into one of the team when you don’t look like yourself. I only broke the spell for me.”

Sara nodded and began to tap on her watch which Rory felt was a slightly fancier looking vortex manipulator, it seemed to do the same thing in a slightly different fashion. The portal opened and Rory saw a room in front of him, clean smooth lines it was brightly lit and looked futuristic. It reminded him of the space station they had been on a few months ago. Before Rory could take any time to contemplate where he was going, John grabbed one end of the chest, so Rory automatically took the other and they headed through the portal.

“Welcome back, Captain Lance,” Gideon said as she stepped onboard making Sara sigh in relief. “Welcome back, Mr Constantine,” the AI continued before she stopped and in a steely tone stated, “That is not Captain Hunter.”

Sara caught John’s eye, that answered that question.

“This is Rory Williams,” Sara introduced, “Rory, meet Gideon. She’s the AI that runs the ship.”

To Sara’s surprise Rory simply nodded, “Cool,” before he glanced up in the same way she and John did, “It’s nice to meet you, Gideon.”

“And you, Mr Williams,” the pleasant tone returned, “I apologise for my earlier greeting. You resemble…”

“Someone you know,” Rory finished for her, “I got that.”

“Gideon,” Sara said as she slid into the pilot’s seat, “We need to go somewhere safe none of the team or the Time Bureau know about, and I need you to make sure no one can enter the ship using the Time Courier as well.”

“Of course, Captain Lance,” Gideon replied, “I can take you to a haven that no one will know of. If Mr Constantine and Mr Williams will take their seats we can leave immediately.”

John hustled Rory to one of the chairs and showed him how to fix the restraint. As Gideon started the engines Sara hoped that they could fix this because she had no idea what to do if they couldn’t.

Sara watched as they entered the time stream and exited into a large expanse of space into the orbit of a moon orbiting a red planet.

“Where are we, Gideon?” she asked.

“This is one of Captain Hunter’s refuges,” Gideon explained, “Used only in certain circumstances. No one ever knew of it and it is doubtful that he would allow knowledge of this place to anyone within the Time Bureau.”

“Why?” John asked.

“This is where he and Miranda Coburn would come when they were hiding their relationship from the Time Master to be alone,” Gideon stated.

Sara nodded, “You’re right, this is somewhere he wouldn’t have shared with anyone.”

“Then we’re safe here?” Rory asked.

Sara nodded as she released herself and turned to see the two men undoing their restraints.

“You may…” she started, trailing off as Rory stood and appeared to have no ill-effects from his first trip in the Waverider, “Never mind.”

“So, what do we now?” Rory asked.

Sara looked at him and could see he was just as exhausted as he had been before his shower, to be honest she was feeling the need to rest for a while too.

“We take the next four hours to sleep,” Sara told him, “You need it and so do I. John, if you can start working on breaking the spell and we can pick up on anything else once we’ve slept.”

Rory sighed, “I can’t sleep until I can find a way to contact someone to protect Amy.”

“If you know a phone number, Mr Williams,” Gideon spoke up, “I can contact whoever you need to talk to.”

Sara saw relief fill Rory’s eyes but also could see he didn’t want to contact whoever it was in front of them.

“I’ll show you to a room,” Sara said, knowing Gideon would warn her of anything in his call that was a danger to them “You can call whoever you need to there.”

John dragged the chest he’d brought into the parlour, waiting until he was sure Sara and Rory had left the bridge.

“I’m sorry, Gideon,” he apologised as he grabbed the bag filled with his books, “I didn’t get a chance to warn you about Rory.”

Silence answered him for a few moments before Gideon replied, “It is fine, Mr Constantine. I merely required a few seconds to process the anomalous data.”

John smiled slightly, “Rory does look uncannily like him.”

“Yes,” Gideon said softly, “I thought for a moment that he had returned to us.”

The hologram flickered on and instead of the blue head she showed most people, the human form Gideon used only on certain occasions appeared before him. This allowed him to see the sadness in her eyes, the loss she only showed to him because Rip’s son had called him ‘Uncle John’.

“You still believe that Rip is out there somewhere?” John asked, even though he knew the answer.

Gideon smiled slightly, “Rip Hunter has been ‘dead’ numerous times. There was no body and he once used the time core to scatter himself. There is a chance that he has been sent though time. And if so, then I will find him.”

John smiled at her, “I don’t doubt it. But first we need to work out who came after Sara and Rory, as well as what they want.”

Gideon’s hologram disappeared and John took the hint, he had to get to work. Looking at the pile of books in front of him, he sighed. The headache from his hangover was still plaguing him and relief filled him when Gideon asked.

“Would you like to be detoxed?”

Rory stepped into the room, nodding thanks to Sara who gave him a quick smile before leaving him to rest. As the doors closed Rory let out a long sigh and he dropped to sit on the bed.

“I can try to contact the person you wish to speak with,” Gideon said, making him jump as he’d forgotten about her.

“Thank you,” he stuttered. 

He took a deep breath and rhymed off the number from memory. Rory paced the small room as he waited for it to connect, praying whatever had happened hadn’t affected her too.

“Hello?” the familiar voice came, interest in it that she’d received a call from an unknown number.

“River,” Rory said, “It’s me.”

“Rory?” a smile filled her voice, “This is unusual.”

Rory grimaced as he realised that she was right but just now was not the time to think about it, “I know but I need your help.”

“Anything,” River said instantly.

Relief filled him, “I can’t explain everything, mostly because I don’t know or understand most of it, but I need you to go to the house and look after Amy.”

“What happened to her?”

“Nothing,” Rory assured, “But there is someone there she believes to be me. It’s a long story, River.”

“Rory…”

“Listen,” he cut her off, “I don’t know if whatever is affecting Amy will affect you too when you get there so you need to find a way to remind yourself that he isn’t me and why you’re there.”

Silence filled the room for a second and Rory wondered if the line had cut off. 

Finally, River spoke again, “Are you safe?”

“I am,” Rory promised, “I’m with people who can hopefully help stop whoever these people are. But for me to do that I need to know Amy is safe.”

“Okay, as long as you’re sure,” she said, “I’ll look after Amy.”

Relieved, Rory let out a sigh, “One more thing, don’t contact the Doctor. I don’t know if he’s the target but why else would they come after me except to get to him.”

“Be careful, father,” River said softly.

Rory nodded even though she couldn’t see him, “I will. And I’ll contact you again as soon as I can.”

“The line has now been severed,” Gideon told him.

Sighing Rory slid the jacket off and threw it over the nearby chair, pushing his shoes off before he dropped onto the bed. 

Closing his eyes, he fell asleep instantly.

*********************************************

Sara lay on her back staring at the ceiling, she’d managed to nap and felt refreshed. She wanted to walk onto the bridge and John tell her that he knew what was happening.

Part of her was disappointed that Gideon had confirmed that Rory was definitely not Rip. She hoped he would appear, having somehow survived the explosion of the Time Core. 

Taking a slow breath Sara got up and had a quick shower, feeling a little better when her hair was washed, and she was wearing clean clothes.

“Gideon,” she called as she left her room. 

“Yes, Captain Lance,” Gideon replied.

Heading to the galley she asked, “Where are the other two?”

“Mr Constantine is in the parlour,” Gideon told her, “He is concentrating on specific books at the moment and may have an idea on what has happened.”

“That’s good,” Sara breathed, entering the galley to get some coffee, “And Rory?”

“Mr Williams is still asleep,” Gideon reported.

Taking a sip, she mused for a second, “Who did he call?”

“A woman who sounded to be a close family friend,” Gideon replied, “He asked her to watch over his wife.”

Relieved that he wasn’t a plant by whoever had done this to get on board the Waverider, Sara found a cereal bar to go with her coffee and headed up to the bridge.

“Good, you’re up,” John said looking up as she walked into the parlour.

Sara took a seat, “Do you have something?”

“A possibility,” John replied, “I need Rory to tell me about his deaths.”

“Is it me or is there something odd about that?” Sara asked as she picked at the muffin, “So I was an assassin with an ancient sect but, from what he’s told us, Rory is a nurse who lives a normal life.”

John shrugged, “That we know of. He did know a lot about time travel, our trip here did not affect him in the slightest which shouldn’t be possible. And there is something else about him I can’t put my finger on. Other than his resemblance to Rip.”

“Gideon,” Sara called, “Let us know once Rory is awake.”

“Yes, Captain Lance,” Gideon replied.

John looked up at her, “I don’t want to go through this more than once and I need Rory’s information before I can be sure.”

“Let’s leave him to sleep,” Sara said, “He did say he’d worked a full shift in the hospital before this.”

John nodded.

“I’m going to work out for a bit,” she told him, “Give me a call when you need me.”

Rory appeared in the parlour almost an hour and a half after Sara had left. John smiled to see he looked a lot better than when John had last seen him.

“Gideon got you something to wear I see,” John noted, seeing Rory was wearing different clothes than he had been earlier.

Rory nodded, “And gave me breakfast too.”

John belatedly noted the two mugs Rory was carrying.

“She said you would want some coffee too,” Rory handed one to John who took a sip with a blissful smile on his face.

At Rory’s amused look John shrugged, “Gideon makes amazing coffee.”

“Thank you, Mr Constantine,” Gideon spoke up, “It is nice to be appreciated.”

Taking a seat Rory looked at him, “Do you know anything more than you did earlier?”

“I might,” John said, “But to be sure then I need to know about when you died.”

Rory sighed, “Which time?”

“All of them,” John replied testily.

Grimacing slightly before taking a drink of his own coffee Rory said, “Some of them weren’t in this reality.”

John stared at him thoughtfully, “Tell me everything.”

Taking a deep breath, Rory began to talk. John stared at him listening in astonishment as Rory described several events where he ended up dead.

“Hold on,” John stopped him, “You lived for almost two thousand years in one of these realities, and you remember it?”

Rory shrugged, “Sometimes.”

“What else?” John motioned him to continue. 

When Rory finished speaking John leaned back and folded his arms as he thought over everything.

“Gideon,” he said after a minute of silence, “Can you tell Sara I need to speak with her now?”

“Of course, Mr Constantine,” Gideon replied, adding a few moments later, “She will be here soon.”

Rory wandered the bridge while John checked a few things in his books, he turned when the doors opened, and Sara walked in.

“Please tell me you have an idea what’s going on,” she said the moment she entered the parlour.

John looked over and motioned Rory to join them before nodded, “I do.”

Rory took the seat beside Sara and they waited.

“Okay,” John said, “Both of you have died at some point and been resurrected.”

Sara glanced at Rory obviously wanting to know more but decided against asking and motioned John to continue, “And?”

“There is a spell that allows someone to capture the energy that comes from resurrection,” John explained, “It’s a really complicated and dangerous spell that I only know of one person who is stupid enough to try to do it. A wizard called Redburn. A sneaky little bastard who came off worse the last time we met up. This is his type of plan.”

Rory mused on this for a moment before asking, “So, why has he replaced us?”

“To control you,” John explained, “The spell needs you to surrender the energy. The bastard has got his little cult, who I’m guessing are under a spell, put their people in your place so that you know at any moment they can hurt the person you love. And by having you in custody then that part of the spell locks in your identity on the fake.”

Sara crossed her arms thoughtfully, “How do we fix this?”

“We give them what they want,” Rory stated flatly.

John and Sara turned to him confused.

“What do you mean?” Sara asked.

“We need to do something and sitting about isn’t going to help anyone,” Rory replied, “We need to take back control.”

Sara sighed, “You’re right but we’re also on our own since none of our friends will recognise us.”

Rory bit his lip for a moment before saying, “I may know someone who can help but I’m not sure if the spell will affect him.”

“It affects everyone,” John reminded him.

“Even if he’s an alien?” Rory asked, making them stare at him.

John hesitated, “No idea. I’ve only dealt with humans and supernatural creatures from earth.”

Rory grimaced, “Then I don’t know if it’s a good idea to contact him, besides Amy may have already called him about an ‘imposter’ Rory.”

“What would your friend be able to do?” Sara asked.

Rory hesitated for a moment before replying, “He has a habit of being able to help.”

“That’s it?”

“It’s hard to explain,” Rory said, not sure how to articulate how much he trusted the Doctor and how he was the person Rory was sure could help them.

“Then no,” Sara told him, “If we don’t know your friend will be immune to the spell so we’re not pulling them into this.”

Indignation filled Rory that she had decided this unilaterally, but he held his tongue, considering this was her ship and Rory knew he needed their help.

“What do you suggest we do?” Rory asked sharper than he meant.

Sara hesitated.

“I could probably recreate one of the coins,” John spoke up, “So, we can draw them to an area we control. Once there I am sure I can shatter the spells he’s using rendering him impotent.”

“Good,” Sara nodded, “I will work out where is best for us to draw them to.”

Rory frowned, “What about me?”

“You’re a nurse,” Sara said, “Gideon will give you some stuff to go over,” she clapped her hands together, “We have a plan, Let’s get to work.”

John saw annoyance cover Rory’s face at Sara’s dismissal but he remained silent and left the bridge to presumably go down to the medical bay as she’d told him.

“That might have been a bad idea,” John said, “Telling Rory there was nothing he can do.”

Sara shrugged, “He’s just a nurse.”

“In this life,” John rolled his eyes, “But he has plenty of experience that would be useful in making a plan.”

“But we don’t know him,” Sara reminded him, “Not well enough to trust him for this.”

John grimaced, “That could be a mistake, love. But, it’s your choice. I am going to get on to making this coin. I’ll be in Ray’s lab.”

Sara nodded, “Let me know as soon as it’s done.”

Grabbing what he was going to need, John left the bridge. Setting up in Ray’s lab he pulled out the book he needed, this was going to take longer than he expected.

*********************************************

Rory seethed as he left the bridge, heading to the medical bay Gideon guided him to and he paced for several minutes.

“Gideon,” he called finally.

“Yes, Mr Williams?”

“I have another call I need to make,” Rory told her, quickly rhyming off the number. He waited as it rang, hoping it would be answered and he wasn’t out doing something mad.

“Hello?” the familiar cheerful voice filled the room and Rory sighed in relief.

“Doctor,” Rory said, “It’s me.”

“Rory!!!” the enthusiastic voice came back, “This is a surprise. You and Amy haven’t been fighting, have you?”

Sighing Rory replied, “No but something has happened. I need your help. But I’m not sure if you will recognise me.”

“You’re not making any sense, Rory,” the Doctor said.

“I know, it’s hard to explain,” Rory sighed, “Can you come here? And promise you won’t do anything until you hear me out.”

There was a moment of silence before the Doctor came back on, “I’m on my way.”

Rory slid to sit onto one of the medical chairs and watched as the blue box appeared before him, “Gideon,” he called, “This is my friend, so you don’t have to worry about the box that’s here.”

“Of course, Mr Williams,” she replied.

As the TARDIS settled Rory moved to stand in front of it waiting for the Doctor to appear. The doors opened and the Doctor frowned in confusion.

“Who are you?” the Doctor demanded staring at him, “Where’s Rory?” he tilted his head blinking in confusion, “Except you kind of look like…”

Before Rory could say anything a noise from inside the TARDIS made the Doctor frown and step back inside. Rory followed standing inside the door waiting.

“Rory?” the Doctor stared at him in surprise, “What is going on? Why did you not look like yourself and then look like yourself?”

Laughing in relief, Rory quickly explained to the Doctor what was happening.

“That was a risky move calling me,” the Doctor noted once Rory had finished speaking, “What if I didn’t recognise you?”

“I was pretty sure that the TARDIS would be able to see through whatever this is,” Rory told him with a shrug, “Telepathic circuitry, right? Not to mention she doesn’t exist in time the same as we do so would know who I am.”

The Doctor shook his head exasperated, “One of these days we are going to sit down and have a long discussion, Rory. But not today we have other things to do.”

“I distinctly said not to call your friend,” Sara snapped, standing just inside the medical bay’s doors, arms folded across her chest, anger covering her face.

Rory shrugged, “And I decided it was the best idea.”

“My orders were…”

“Your orders?” Rory cut her off, “I am not one of your people, Sara and I don’t take orders from you. In fact, I don’t know either of you.”

“We helped you,” Sara retorted, taking a step towards him, “With no reason to.”

“You did it because you thought I was the guy you know,” Rory rolled his eyes dismissively, “It wasn’t about helping me. The Doctor is someone I trust, and I know can actually help.”

John leaned into the man standing beside him introduced as the Doctor, “Who’s your money on?”

The Doctor chuckled, “Rory is more stubborn that anyone I’ve ever known, with the possible exception of his wife and daughter. I wouldn’t count him out.”

“And I don’t know him,” Sara snapped back at Rory.

Annoyed he shrugged, “Then you two do whatever you were going to, and we’ll fix this ourselves.” Without another word he walked into the TARDIS while Sara threw her hands in the air and stalked away.

The Doctor sighed, “I’ll speak with him, you talk to her.”

John nodded and watched the strange man head into the box after Rory, shaking his head John decided to ask later about the police box.

Heading after Sara he found her in the library pacing looking annoyed.

“Gideon,” she suddenly called, “Why didn’t you warn us Rory had made a call and invited his ‘friend’ here?”

Leaning against the wall John waited interested to hear the reply.

“You ordered me to assist Mr Williams,” Gideon replied, “He needed to speak with the Doctor and assured me that the Doctor was his friend.”

John forced himself not to laugh, Gideon had clearly taken a liking to their Rip lookalike and was following Sara’s orders to the letter. It was something she used to do to annoy Rip by being that special kind of dumb, obeying orders to the letter. Usually after he had done something stupid.

“That did not go well,” John noted.

“If he can’t follow orders,” Sara snapped, “Then he’ll be a liability.”

Shaking his head John sighed, “Sara, Rory is not one of the Legends. And to be fair to him, you did dismiss any contribution he could provide.”

“He’s just a nurse, John,” Sara reminded him.

“And the rest,” John replied, “If you had held on and let us tell you everything then you would know he has military experience and, in a way, is older than the entire team put together several times. Look,” he continued before she could argue, “We need to work together on this. He’s not Rip, Sara and any animosity you feel because they look alike you need to get over it.”

Sara frowned at him, “This has nothing to do with Rip. I don’t know Rory and I learned a long time ago that I need to know who I’m working with.”

John sighed again, “Sara, the man coming after the two of you is extremely dangerous. The spell he wants to do is deadly and splitting up is the worst idea. So, I’m telling you now that if we do this alone, we’ll fail.”

“We’re not leaving,” the Doctor said walking up the stairs to join Rory at the console.

Rory turned to him, “We’re obviously not needed.”

“I know you’re angry,” the Doctor said softly, “But I need you to control the Centurion just now.”

Let out a snort of derision Rory dropped onto the chair and stared at him in sullen silence.

“Rory,” the Doctor leaned against the console, “Listen to me. You called me to help but I can only help when I have all the facts.”

“Well I paid attention, Doctor,” Rory replied, “I’m sure I can tell you what you need to know.”

The Doctor smiled affectionally, “You always do, Rory but we still need to work with these people.”

Rory frowned.

“You’ve followed orders before, Rory,” the Doctor decided to change track, “As Captain Williams and Roranicus.”

“From people who had earned my respect,” Rory retorted.

Shaking his head, the Doctor sighed, “Why are you always so stubborn?”

“Maybe that’s what keeps me alive.”

“I’m not going to move the TARDIS,” the Doctor said softly, “Not until I know a way to get you and Amy out of danger.”

Rory frowned at him, “You know I can probably fly the TARDIS and get us back home without you. She likes me.”

“I do know that,” the Doctor replied, “The TARDIS also wants you to remain safe and I doubt would take you where you wanted to go if it wasn’t. Rory,” the Doctor rested his hands on his friend’s shoulders, “Look at me.” Reluctantly Rory looked up and the Doctor continued, “I want to protect Amy too, and to do that we need to work with your new friends.”

Rory let out an annoyed sigh, “Fine. But if she tries to order me around again…”

Following his friend out the Doctor sighed, he was going to have to watch Rory closely. The Centurion who’d lived for nearly two thousand years sometimes appeared pushing nurse Rory to the back of his consciousness and Rory became one of the most dangerous people the Doctor had ever known.

*********************************************

Gideon watched Mr Williams and the Doctor leave the blue box currently sitting in her medical bay. The TARDIS had connected to her the moment it landed and assured her that neither the Doctor nor Mr Williams were a threat to the Waverider nor the people her Captain had asked her to watch over. The TARDIS was completely different from an AI and Gideon was fascinated by her, having never met any Time Lord technology until now. The TARDIS also asked many questions about Gideon and her Captain, amused that the man the TARDIS called the ‘pretty one’ resembled Rip’s Captain so much.

Rory Williams resemblance to Rip Hunter had confused and alarmed Gideon at first, but after the initial thought her Captain had returned then dismissed, Gideon watched over and found she liked Mr Williams.

He was smart and listening to his story had learned how resilient he was. There were some similarities to Rip in how much he cared for people, but Mr Williams appeared to be much better at expressing it than her Captain had ever been.

If she was in her human form, she would have smiled amused at how Miss Lance stood in one corner of the room while Mr Williams took the other with Mr Constantine and the Doctor standing between them. 

She just hoped they could all work together to solve this situation.

“Alright,” the Doctor said all traces of the foolishness and light-heartedness he’d displayed earlier gone, “Sara, Rory you have both been targeted meaning not only are your lives in danger but so are the lives of people you hold dear. Now, I am not going to make you shake hands and make up,” he held up his hand sharply as Rory opened his mouth to speak, “Not that I don’t want to but we don’t have the time to listen to you argue with me.”

Sara glared at him demanding, “Who put you in charge?”

“I did,” the Doctor told her sharply, “So, hush.” Annoyance covered Sara’s face, but she remained silent as the Doctor continued, “Do you have any ideas?”

Rory took a quick breath, “John thinks he knows who is behind this, so we decided to draw them to us. 

The Doctor frowned, “And you think that is a good idea?”

“If we can get them face to face on our terms,” John spoke up, “I’m sure we have a chance of stopping him.”

Confusion covered the Doctor’s face, “How do you plan on doing that?”

“I can recreate the tracker spell,” John explained, “We then choose somewhere we can control to put down so that when they come for Sara and Rory, I break the spell which should render him powerless.”

The Doctor nodded, “A good plan. Rory, do you want your sword?”

“Probably a good idea,” Rory sighed.

“Sword?” Sara asked intrigued.

Rory shook his head, “It is a long story. I’ll get it. I may need to go through some drills before we go.”

The Doctor nodded, patting Rory on the shoulder as he walked past.

“Sword?” Sara asked again before demanding, “What kind of nurse uses a sword?”

“One whose lived a few different lives and was a Roman Centurion in one of them,” John replied.

The Doctor turned to her, “Rory is so much more than he tells people. And although he can be one of the kindest people you will ever meet,” he sighed, “He can also be deadly.”

Confused Sara turned to where Rory had been before looking back at the Doctor and asking, “Him?”

“He told us he’s died a few times,” John reminded her, “You should have been here for the entire story. It was pretty incredible.”

Rory entered the TARDIS and gently touched the console.

“Thank you for knowing me,” he breathed softly, “I don’t know what I would have done if you didn’t.”

He felt a gentle vibration against his fingertips and smiled.

“She says your welcome.”

Rory jumped and spun finding a woman he didn’t recognise standing just at the top of the stairs, petite with high cheekbones, grey eyes and long chestnut hair.

“Who are you?” he stammered in confusion.

She smiled at him, “I’m Gideon.”

“Gideon?” Rory stared at her, “How…I mean why…no, I mean how?”

Gideon laughed, “The TARDIS and I have been talking, she gave me permission to use her holo-emitters to speak with you here.”

“Why?” Rory asked a little suspiciously.

She shrugged, “I enjoy talking with you.”

“Because I remind you of Rip?” Rory asked.

Sadness covered her face, “Actually your resemblance hurts me in a way I did not know existed until now.”

Rory winced, “I’m sorry your friend is gone. I wish I could help in some way.”

A sweet smile touched her lips and she rested her hand at his cheek, “It is kind of you but there is nothing anyone can do. If Captain Hunter is alive then I shall find him.”

Not sure what to say Rory breathed, “I should go get my sword. That’s why I’m here.”

“The TARDIS advises that she has placed it in your room,” Gideon told him with a smile, “And she says not to worry too much about the ‘Fiery One’ as the ‘Song of Time’ is with her. Do you know what that means?”

Rory nodded, “It means my daughter is with Amy. That’s good.” He frowned in thought, “The Fiery One?”

“It is the TARDIS name for your wife,” Gideon explained.

Rory nodded, “An apt description for her,” he chuckled before musing thoughtfully, “Dare I ask if she told you what she calls me?”

Gideon smiled, “The Pretty One. And I feel that is a perfect description.”

*********************************************

“You want to tell me what you’re thinking about?” John asked as he found Sara in the library staring into space.

“Just worrying,” Sara sighed, “I don’t like not being able to actively participate in protecting myself or my people.”

Sitting beside her he shrugged, “I get it. But I know what I’m doing, Sara and once we get you in position then you can beat the crap out whoever is doing this.”

She nodded.

“What else is bothering you?” John demanded annoyed.

“Why…”

“Because you’ve still got that look,” he replied, “I am busy, so therapy is only on offer for a few minutes.”

Sara grimaced before admitting, “It’s Rory.”

“What about him?”

“Having him here makes me think about what happened to Rip,” Sara told him sadly, “It was my mistake that meant Rip sacrificed his life. I let Amaya break time before we knew how to use the weapon, I gave Damian Darhk of all people one of the totems because I didn’t want to listen to Rip’s advice. Because I had to prove I didn’t need him.”

John folded his arms across his chest and sighed, “Sara, Rip could have taken the Waverider at any time and left you all to your fate. Gideon would have gone with him without hesitation. But Rip stayed back for you to take the lead because he trusted in you.” John shrugged, “Rip did what he did because he knew you would take the team and stop the threat. It was his decision to face Mallus, so give him the credit for it and stop trying to take the blame.”

“Okay,” Sara said softly.

“Are we done?” John asked.

She rolled her eyes at him before asking, “What about this Doctor? Do you know anything about him?”

“You mean other than the fact I’m pretty sure he’s a Time Lord?” John said.

“A what?”

John sighed, annoyance filling his voice, “Rip never told you about them?”

Sara shook her head.

“All I know is the Time Masters avoided them and you do not get on their bad side,” John replied, “But I think we can trust him. He’s obviously protective of Rory, so he’s on our side right now but from what Rip told me, or at least what I remember,” at her confused frown John explained, “We had drank a lot at the time, Time Lords don’t usually get involved. If he is then there’s a good reason for it.”

“So, be careful of the guy in the bowtie,” Sara noted, “Got it.”

The Doctor walked through the Waverider looking for Rory. The fact that the other man had so readily agreed that he needed his sword was worrying because Rory never picked it up unless there was absolutely no other option. Finally, he found Rory in a cargo bay going through some drills.

It was times like this that the Doctor saw how much Rory had changed over the years. From the nervous nurse-boy who had followed Amy during the ‘Prisoner Zero’ fiasco completely bemused by what he was being told, who wouldn’t hurt a fly and had pushed the Doctor out of the way of a shot which killed him. To the man who held the memories of living the life of a Roman Centurion and spent almost two thousand years guarding the woman he loved. Those memories made Rory dangerous and the Doctor had seen him disappear into the Centurion on occasion but each time it had happened Amy had been there to pull him back.

The Doctor feared what would happen if she couldn’t because she didn’t know who he was. He’d never seen Rory go down that rabbit-hole completely and was hoping he never would.

“Doctor?” Rory said noticing him suddenly, “Is everything okay?”

“You tell me,” the Doctor said softly.

Rory took a deep breath, “River is with Amy and I just hope that my daughter did something to ensure that she isn’t affected by the spell. That was all I could do to protect Amy this time.”

“I know that Amy would remind you that she can look after herself,” the Doctor said, “And that you don’t have to protect her.”

Rory shrugged, “After two thousand years, it’s a bit of a habit.”

The Doctor chuckled, “I guess so.”

“I’m scared, Doctor,” Rory confessed softly, “I know how to fight but what if I can’t fight this?”

Wrapping his arm around Rory, the Doctor hugged him tightly, “I sometimes forget you’re younger and older than me.”

“Me too.”

Letting the other man go the Doctor took Rory by the shoulders, “We rebooted the Universe once. We can do anything.”

With a slight smile Rory nodded in agreement.

“Then let’s go,” the Doctor told him, “And see if our new friends have anything.”

“Doctor,” Rory stopped him before he could leave the room, “If something happens to me then you have to get Amy away from that guy.”

“Rory…”

“And tell her that I love her more than anything in the universe.”

The Doctor smiled, resting his hand on Rory’s cheek, “She knows.”

*********************************************

“Okay, John is sure he’s managed to recreate the coin with the locating spell,” Sara said, “Rory and I agree that it would be the best idea to go back to London to set the trap.”

“Why?” the Doctor asked thoughtfully.

“Because it’s where we ran into each other,” Rory explained, “Presumably that’d be the best place since we know they not only have a presence but…that’s where Amy and Sara’s girlfriend Ava are.”

“Rory said there is a park near his house,” Sara took over, “So, we to set up there. It should hopefully allow us to ensure Amy and Ava are safe by breaking the spells.”

The Doctor glanced at John who nodded, “Alright, I say we take the TARDIS since the Waverider is a bit big to land and if you use your portal things…”

“Time Courier,” Sara and John corrected in unison.

“They could follow us back through if something goes wrong and we need to retreat,” the Doctor continued as though he hadn’t been interrupted.

“Agreed,” Sara nodded, “John, get what you need, and we’ll meet at the TARDIS in fifteen minutes.”

Rory followed the Doctor into the TARDIS and took up position by the console.

“Gideon,” the Doctor called, “Apologies we have to leave you here.”

The hologram of the woman appeared again, “I understand, Doctor,” she told him, “The TARDIS shall keep in contact with me, so I know what is happening.”

The Doctor nodded.

“Gideon,” Rory said softly, “If I don’t get a chance to talk to you then thank you for your help.”

“You are welcome, Mr Williams,” Gideon nodded softly.

He smiled at her before adding, “And I hope you find your friend.”

Giving him a smile Gideon suddenly disappeared as the TARDIS doors opened.

“Oh my God,” Sara exclaimed as she walked inside a few steps, turned walked out and Rory assumed, walked around the outside of the TARDIS before she walked back in. Turning to John she said, “Okay, I get why the Time Masters stayed away from them.”

Without looking up, the Doctor called, “Come in, close the door and come up here.” As Sara and John reached him, the Doctor looked up and frowned at the skin-tight white outfit she was wearing, “Oh, White Canary. I thought you looked familiar. Nice outfit.”

He glanced at Rory who said, “No.”

“Are you sure?” the Doctor said, “You would…”

“Not a chance in hell,” Rory cut him off, “I have my sword, I don’t need the rest of the outfit.”

“Outfit?” John asked with interest.

Rory closed his eyes in frustration as the Doctor noted, “His Centurion’s uniform.”

John’s eyes widened in a way Rory wasn’t sure he liked before looking Rory up and down, “Really?”

“Let’s go, Doctor,” Rory said frustration in his voice.

“I think the Centurion outfit would be a good idea,” Sara spoke up amused.

Rory grimaced at her before snapping, “Doctor.”

“And we’re off,” the Doctor threw the lever.

*********************************************

It was a cold morning, grey with a haze of rain when they stepped out of the TARDIS. They were in a playpark with a large circle of grass in the middle of the park where the TARDIS was sitting. Sara looked around getting the lay of the land while Rory turned and looked along the road to where his house was.

“She’ll be fine,” the Doctor assured him.

Nodding Rory took a breath and turned to John, “What do you need me to do?”

Handing him small tin of green paint, a brush and a diagram John said, “On the ground around the outside of the grass. Try to keep it as hidden as possible, we don’t want them to see it until the last possible second.”

Rory nodded, looking at the picture on the paper for several moments before he began to meticulously paint it on the ground, ensuring that he didn’t miss a bit and the circle was complete.

John started muttering incantations beneath his breath, building them a protective circle that would work with the symbols Rory was painting.

“There’s nowhere to hide,” Sara frowned as she joined the Doctor.

“I think that’s the point,” the Doctor replied.

Sara grimaced, “I just don’t like it.”

“Neither do I.”

John finished his incantations as Rory finished painting the symbols.

“These are good,” John told him, “Have you had to do this before?”

Rory chuckled, “Amy was very specific about how we played as children.”

John frowned for a moment and pulled out the duplicate coin but before he unwrapped it turned back to Rory, “We’re coming back to that later.”

Rory gave him a quick smile and stood back as John slowly unwrapped the silver coin he had made.

Turning he asked, “Are we all clear on the plan?”

“Yes,” Sara and Rory answered in unison as the Doctor nodded.

John took a quick breath, “Here we go then.” 

Starting to incant again, he tossed it in the air. The coin spun in the air before dropping onto the ground with a clink.

Almost instantly several people began to appear, surrounding the park, all wearing black robes. John felt Rory stiffen at his side, hand reaching for his sword automatically as Sara took up a defensive stance.

“I want to speak to your boss,” John called.

“You have no idea what you are interfering in,” one of the robes replied stepping in front of them, “If you know what’s good for you then leave and we will spare your life.”

John pulled out a cigarette and lit it, “I’ve never been one for doing what’s good for me. Get your boss here and we will have a discussion. Or,” he took a long drag before flicking the butt, “You will find out exactly how much I dislike your sense of fashion.”

The robe let out a snort of derision and stepped forward, John muttered under his breath and raised his hands so that when he hit the barrier Rory had painted they thought it was John that had erected it himself. He needed the barrier to remain undiscovered for now.

“So,” John said to the man, who had now lost his hood, “Are you getting your boss, or do I have to ask again?”

Rory decided he was glad John was on their side as he stared down the man in the black robe. Finally, the man sniffed and stepped back.

“You only have yourself to blame for your destruction,” he stated before he turned and went down on one knee.

John rolled his eyes and turned slightly to Rory, “Hold your temper. He’ll do anything he can to rattle you and Sara. The Doctor is watching her, but I need you to be what the Doctor calls ‘Nurse Rory’.”

“I’ll be fine,” Rory murmured back.

After several minutes a small sickly-looking man appeared and walked slowly towards them.

“Reed Redburn,” John snapped, “I knew it was too good to be true when I was told you were dead, you smarmy bastard.”

Redburn turned pale washed out blue eyes to them, “Constantine,” he rasped, “You should not have become involved in this.”

“You came after one of my mates,” John shook his head, “I tend to look unfavourably on that.”

Redburn laughed, or that’s what Rory assumed it was, before turning to Rory, “Mr Williams, this will be easier on you if you just surrender yourself. I know you want no one to be hurt in a futile attempt to stop what is inevitable.

Rory chuckled softly.

“Is something amusing, Mr Williams?” Redburn demanded looking surprised at Rory’s reaction.

“You have no idea what you’ve done,” Rory stated softly but the menace was clear in his voice, “When someone abducted my wife, I picked up my sword and cut through anyone who got in my way.”

Redburn shrugged, “So?”

Rory smiled coldly as he drew his sword, “I’m the even-tempered one in my family. Just wait till my wife and daughter realise what you’re doing. Natural disasters have nothing on them.”

“Do you think that I need to worry?” Redburn demanded, “I own your wife, Mr Williams and you have no child. I did my homework before I chose you.”

He turned and motioned someone forward. Rory gripped his sword tighter as Amy walked forward with the same guy who had been in his house, River was with them looking as confused as Amy. River glanced at Rory and winked sending relief flowing through him. A few moments later a brunette woman appeared with who he assumed was Ava, Sara’s girlfriend.

“You really should have done much more research,” John said from Rory’s side.

“River, now,” Rory snapped as John activated the spell that Rory had painted around the circle for him.

River grabbed Amy pulling her to safety as the spell exploded outwards removing the camouflage surrounding them and shattering every other spell Redburn had cast on the group.

“What the hell?” Amy demanded as she turned to the guy who had been pretending to be Rory. Without hesitation she punched him in the jaw, sending him to the ground.

“Rory!!” Amy cried, running to his side but seeing the sword and stance knew not to hug him instead turned a fiery glare onto Redburn as River joined them. 

“You were saying?” Rory asked with a smirk.

Sara smiled in relief as Ava slammed the woman who had been pretending to be her to the ground before moving to Sara’s side.

“I’m guessing I’ve missed a few things,” Ava said.

Giving a slight shrug, Sara confirmed, “One or two.”

“So,” John spoke up again, “You were saying about having an advantage.”

Redburn glared, looking even worse than he had earlier as his control over Amy, Ava and all of the people in the robes was broken by John’s spell. The people in black robes were now wandering around looking confused leaving Redburn standing alone.

“The last time we met,” John continued, anger in his voice just below the surface, “I told you I would kill you if we ever crossed paths again.”

“No,” the Doctor snapped, “No killing.”

John turned to him, “I don’t have to. The reason he wanted Sara and Rory was because both have been dead at some point. He wanted the energy their resurrection granted them. He’s not got long and the energy he expended in this stunt,” he shrugged, “It finished him off,” turning back to the man standing there who was beginning to wheeze, “You won’t live much longer, Redburn. Go make your peace because that black soul of yours is destined for hell.”

“We should get him to a hospital,” Rory spoke up.

Ava stepped forward, “We have the medical facilities that will also be able to keep him locked down.”

“Are you sure?” the Doctor asked.

Sara nodded, “Ava’s right. The Time Bureau is the best option. John, we’ll need you to help keep him in line.”

John shrugged, “Fine by me. I want to keep an eye on the slimy little weasel.”

“Good,” Sara said before she turned to the Doctor, “Thank you for your help.”

He gave a quick nod, “I’ll have the TARDIS let Gideon know everything is fine and you’ll contact her soon.”

“Thank you,” she replied before turning to Rory, offering her hand she smiled at him, “I’m really glad we ran into one another.”

“Me too,” Rory took her hand, “Look after yourself.”

Before she walked away Sara caught sight of the woman with Rory, who was not his wife, “Ahh…” she started before trailing off.

“Something wrong?” Rory asked.

Sara shook her head, “No. It’s just…your friend looks like my mom’s twin sister, Aunt Catherine but,” she laughed, “Considering you look like Rip, must just be another coincidence.”

Rory glanced at his friend before replying, “Must be.”

As she joined Ava and John, Sara turned and watched the Doctor, Rory and the two women enter the TARDIS.

As the blue box disappeared, Ava demanded, “What did I miss?”

Sara chuckled, “I’ll tell you later.”

Rory entered the TARDIS and caught River before she headed up the stairs to join the Doctor and Amy.

“Should I ask,” he said before adding, “Aunt Catherine?”

River smiled mysteriously before patting his cheek, “Best not to, father dear.”

Rolling his eyes, he climbed the stairs quickly and was caught by Amy in a tight embrace. She hugged him tightly before kissing him.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Rory held onto her, “Not your fault. I’m just happy you recognise me again.”

“So,” the Doctor spoke up, “Where to?”

“How about home,” Rory replied, his arm wrapped tightly around his wife, “Get something to eat then decide.”

The Doctor nodded, “Sounds good.”

Rory smiled as he looked around the TARDIS, relieved to be home with his family once more.

*********************************************

The Doctor was sitting on the wall in the back garden when Rory found him after dinner. Taking a seat at his side Rory looked up at the stars in silence with him for several minutes.

“You’re thinking very loudly over there,” the Doctor said.

Rory shrugged, “Just everything that happened the past few days.” He paused and turned to his friend, “Did you let Gideon know what happened?”

“You were busy with Amy when I did,” the Doctor smiled, “She sent her good wishes to you.”

He sat for a moment before saying, “She wasn’t what I expected an AI to be.”

“No,” the Doctor smiled, “Not like one I’ve ever encountered before either. The TARDIS appears to have made friends with her too.”

“Can you help her find her Captain?” Rory asked.

The Doctor shrugged nonchalantly, “I may have thought of a few possibilities of what may have happened to him.”

“Well if you find him, I want to meet him,” Rory said.

“To see if you do look the same?”

Rory laughed, “That’s basically why.”

They sat in silence again for several more minutes, listening to Amy and River laughing inside the house.

“Thank you for coming to help me, Doctor,” Rory said sincerely.

Wrapping his arm around the other man, the Doctor smiled, “Anytime.”

“Oy, you two,” Amy yelled, “Get back in here. Dessert is served.”

Clapping his friend’s shoulder Rory led him back into the house with his wife and daughter.

He was home again.


End file.
